Elastic-fluid turbine.



No. 762,453. PATENTED JUNE 14, 1904. J. 0. STURGEON.

ELASTIC FLUID TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

No. 762,453. Patented June 14, 1904.

UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. STURGEON, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALBERTF. DOBLER, OF GIRARD, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELASTIC-FLUID TURBINE.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 762,453, dated June 14,1904.

I Application filed February 25,190 Serial No. 195,215. (No model.)

To all who/"1 J 007166771! chamber for each annular chamber in the 50 Beit known that I, JOHN C. STURGEO'N, a shell, connected therewith by apipe, so that citizen of the'United States, residing at Erie, thesteam-pressure .in each annular chamber in the county of Erie and Stateof Pennsylvais communicated to the corresponding pres- 5 nia, haveinvented certain new and useful Imsure or thrust chamber connectedtherewith.

provementsin Elastic-FluidTurbine-Engines; Another feature in theconstruction of this 55 and I do hereby declare the'following to be aengine is the making of the diagonal steamfull, clear, and exactdescription of the invenjet openings in the inner walls of the chamtion,such as will enable others skilled in the bers in the shell in theformof round holes art to which it appertains to make and-use the boreddiagonally through the inner chambersame, reference being had to theaccompanywalls instead of diagonal slots therein, by 60 ing drawings,and to the letters of reference which means I greatly simplify'theconstrucmarked thereon, forming part of thisspeciiia tion of the innerchamber-walls. cation. These and other features of my invention M yinvention relates to elastic-fluid turbineare hereinafter fully setforth and explained,

engines, and has for its objects the comhiriaand illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, 5 tion in an engine comprising substantially a inwhich shell having a series of annular chambers Figure 1 is a view,partially in elevation therein closed at their rear endsand having andpartially in section, of an elastic-fluid turthe inner walls thereofprovided with slots or bine-engine embodying my invention. Fig.

steam-jet openings at angles to lines radiating 2 is an end view of thesame, partially in ele- 7 from the axes of said chambers andhereinafvation and partially in section, on the line :0 a; terdesignated as diagonal slots orsteam-jet in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a likeview of a modified openings, and a rotatable cylinder mountedconstruction of the same.

therein concentric with the inner walls of In the drawings illustratingmy invention said chambers and provided on its periphery the shell ofthe engine is preferably made in 75 with rows of vanes coinciding withand adjatwo half-sections A A, secured together by cent to the innerwalls of said chambers, of a means of flanges a and bolts a, passingthereseries of pressure or thrust chambers, preferthrough. On the inletend of the shell I seably in the rear end of the shell and operatcure asuitable head B, provided with an aning against the longitudinal thrustof the cylnular steam-chamber B and a steam-inlet 6. 8O

inder in that direction, each of which pres-' In the shell A A, I securewalls O O, which sure or thrust chambers is connected with one form therear end and inner walls of a series of the annular chambers in theshell, so that of annular chambers D D D in the shell A 3 5 thesteam-pressure in each pressure or thrust A, these end and innerchamber-walls C O chamber corresponds to the pressure in the beingpreferably made in half-sections se- 5 annular chamber in the shellconnected therecured together and removably secured in the with, wherebythe longitudinal pressure of' shell A A. the steam on the cylinder isequalized in both In the inner walls O of the annular cham- 40directions. I accomplish this result in the bers DD D Imake diagonalsteam-jet openconstruction of engine herein shown by formings c,preforabl y in the shapeof conical holes 9 ing on the rear end of thecylinder a series of 0, gradually decreasing in area from the inletsteps and inthe rear head of the shell correto the outlet thereof, asillustrated in Figs. 1 sponding steps, the combination of each step and2. I can, however, make diagonal steamon the cylinder and thecorresponding step in jet openings 0 in the inner chamber-walls O,

the shell-head forming a pressure or thrust as illustrated in Fig. 3, inwhich the steamchamber, from which a pipe leads to a correjet openings 0are enlarged from the inlet sponding chamber in the shell, and in theconsubstantially half of the length thereof and struction shown there isone pressure or thrust then contracted to acomparatively small opening 0from whence to the outlet ends of said openings they are again enlarged,which feature is clearly illustrated in Fig. 3. 1 can, however, utilizeeither form of steam-jet opening thus shown and described with goodresults.

At the outlet end of the shell I make an exhaust-chamber E, providedwith an exhaustoutlet E, and I provide the rear end of the shell A Awith a head F, the outer end of which is stepped down in regular stages,so as to form a series of radial and annular outer compression or thrustchamber wallsfj ffor compression or thrust chambers (Z J (1, from whichpipes (1 Ur (wr lead to and connect with the annular chambers l) I) l)"in the shell, so that the-steam-pressu re in said annular chambers I) I)l) is thereby respectively communicated to the pressure or thrustchambers (Z (Z corresponding thereto.

On the shaft H, I mount a rotatable cylin der H concentrically with theinner walls C of the annular chambers l) l) I)", and on the periphery ofthe cylinder H there are rows of spiral vanes I I l coinciding with andadjacent to the inner walls C of said chambers. The end of each row ofvanes under the inlet ends of said chambers are closed, and the oppositeend of each row of vanes are open, so that the steam passes out from theopen end of each row of vanes into the annular chamber succeedingthereto and from the open end of the last row of vanes into theexhaustchamber E. The rear end of the cylinder II is preferably extendedout into the rear head of the shell and is provided with step-downshoulders 71/ /21 It on the end thereof corresponding to the steps f j"f on the head F and operate to form the inner radial and annular wallsof the pressure or thrust chambers (ZWZ (I, so that the steam-pressurein said chambers is communicated to the cylinder in opposition to thepressure of the steam in the chambers D I) I) acting thereon.

The peripheral walls of each of the shoulders /1 /1/ it operate in closeproximity to the inner wall of each stepfff on the head, and annulargrooves 71. are therein provided, preferably in both adjacent surfaces,which operate to form an automatic steam-packing therefor.

In operation the steam enters the lirst chamber D and is dischargedagainst the first row of cylinder-vanes I and passes out of the openends of said row of vanes into the chamber I), from whence it isdischarged as before, this operation being consecutively repeated by thesteam in its traverse through all of the chambers until it is dischargedfrom the last row of vanes into the exhaustchamber E. canwhile when thesteam enters the first chamber I) a portion thereof passes through thepipe (at to the pressure or thrust chamber (7, and as it enters thesecond chamber I) a portion thereof from that chamber passes through thepipe G to the pressure or thrust chamber 6! and in like manner from thechamber D to the pressure or thrust chamber (Z whereby the pressure ofthe steam acting upon the cylinder longitudinally in both directions isequalized at whatever pressure the steam may be in the chambers 1) I) DIn this construction 1 have shown and described three annular chambers.l) D I) in the shell and the like number of pressure or thrust chambers(Z (Z J in the shell-head. It is obvious, however, that .I can use anydesired number of the annular chambers in the shell and an equal orgreater number of pressure or thrust chambers connected therewith withgood results, the important feature being to so arrange them withrelation to each other that the action of the steam therein upon thecylinder will be substantially equalized in both directions. It is alsoobvious that the system of pressure or thrust chambers herein shown anddescribed can be utilized in the construction of any elastic-fluidturbine-engine in which the steam is consecutively discharged from aseries of chambers against vanes on a cylinder rotating within suchseries of chambers.

Therefore, having shown and described my invention so as to enableothers to construct and utilize the same, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination in an elastic-fluid turbine-engine, comprisingsubstantially a shell having a series of annular chambers therein, arotatable cylinder and vanes thereon coinciding with and adjacent to theinner walls of said chambers, of one or more pressure or thrust chambersacting longitudinally on said cylinder in opposition to the thrustthereon caused by the action of the steam in its passage through theengine, and conduits connecting one or more of said annular chamberswith said pressure or thrust chamber or chambers, substantially as setforth.

2. The combination in an elastic-fluid turbine-engine, of ashell havingaseries of annular chambers therein, a rotatable cylinder concentric withthe inner walls of said chambers, vanes on said cylinder coinciding withand adjacent to the inner walls of each chamber, two or more pressure orthrust chambers acting on the rear of said cylinder longitudinally inopposition to the action of the steam thereon in its passage through theengine, and pipes or steam-passages connecting some of said annularchambers with said pressure or thrust chambers, substantially as setforth.

3. The combination in anelastic-fluid turbine-engine, of a shell havinga series of annular chambers therein the inner walls whereof areprovided with diagonal steam-jet openings, a rotatable cylinderconcentric with the inner walls of said chambers, a row of vanes on thecylinder coinciding with and adjacent to the inner Wall of each chamber,a series of pressure or thrust chambers acting longitudinally on therear end of the cylinder, a pipe or duct connecting each annular chamberwith a pressure or thrust chamber corresponding thereto, substantiallyas set forth.

4:. The combination in an elastic-fluid turbine-engine, of a shellhaving a series of annular chambers consecutively increasing in capacityfrom the inlet to the exhaust of the engine, the inner walls of whichare provided with diagonal steam-jet openings, a rotatable cylinderconcentric with the inner Walls of said chambers, a row of vanes on thecylinder coinciding with and adjacent to the inner Wall of each chamber,a series of pressure or thrust chambers communicating longitudinalpressure against the rear end of the cylinder in opposition to thelongitudinal thrust caused by the action of the steam passing throughthe annular chambers in the shell, and a pipe or conduit connecting eachannular chamber with a corresponding pressure or thrust chamber,substantially as set forth.

5. The combination in an elastic-fluid turbine-engine, of a sectionalshell, removable annular chamber end and inner walls forming a series ofannular chambers therein consecutively increasing in capacity from thesteaminlet to the exhaust of the engine, and having diagonal steam-jetopenings in the inner Walls of said chambers, a rotatable cylinderconcentric with the inner walls of said chambers, a row of spiral vaneson the cylinder coinciding with and adjacent to the inner wall of eachchamber, a series of pressure or thrust chambers communicatinglongitudinal pressure to the cylinder in opposition to the longitudinalthrust thereon caused by the action of the steam passing through theannular chambers in the shell, and a pipe or duct connecting eachannular chamber in the shell with a pressure or thrust chambercorresponding thereto, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN C. STURGEON.

